Motor vehicles designed for off-road use include the Jeep® brand motor vehicle. These vehicles have fenders over each wheel that extend outward and slightly downward from the vehicle body to which they are removably fastened, usually by various bolts. The front fenders have turn signals. The factory installed fenders are subject to damage by debris as well as various type of vegetation, including trees, shrubbery and overhanging branches and vines as may be encountered in back-road or off-road use. Unfortunately, animals may also be hit by the fenders. There is a need for more sturdy and durable fenders that may withstand greater impacts and forces without deforming, compared to factor fenders.
The fenders typically comprise a formed sheet of material each extending over an upper portion of a wheel located beneath the fender. During back-road and off-road use the wheels throw mud, dirt, insects, seeds and various other debris against the underside or interior side of the adjacent fender and the construction of the fenders allows those materials to be entrapped under the fender. Those entrapped materials are difficult to remove as the underside of the fenders is not accessible to automated car washing equipment and even if manually washed it may be difficult to complete remove all the entrapped material. The result is that mud and debris may be entrapped under the fenders and that can have several undesirable consequences. In addition to increasing corrosion, insects and various plants and seeds may be embedded in the entrapped mud and debris, resulting in the transport of undesirable plants and bugs from remote locations to the vehicle operator's home. Moreover, the entrapped mud, stones and debris may dislodge during highway driving, causing dislodged pebbles to bounce against the side of the vehicle and damage paint, or impact a trailing vehicle and damage paint, lights or windshields. There is thus a need for an improved fender that reduces the adherence and transportation of mud, dirt and debris and allows easier cleaning.
The fenders extend outward from a uniform distance with the result that vegetation in front of the front fender hits what is effectively the front edge a rectangular body and is typically deflected downward or broken, while the vegetation a little further outward from the vehicle avoids the fender entirely. The vegetation impacting the front edge of the fender may damage the fender and the blunt impact is more likely to damage the vegetation. Likewise, animals hit by the laterally extending fender are likely to be injured. There is a need for an improved fender that reduces the potential impact and preferably redirects the potential impact to urge vegetation and animals laterally away from the vehicle.